53 worship centres, hotels sealed in Lagos

Lagos Sate Government yesterday sealed 53 churches, mosques and hotels at different locations across the state over noise pollution and other environmental offences.

Briefing journalists after sealing the premises, Gen­eral Manager, Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, LASEPA, Engr Adebola Shabi, said the agency was inundated with complaints from residents and neighbours of the shut premises.

Shabi explained that some of the affected facili­ties had been served abate­ment notices before the eventual closure, adding that the growing rate of worship centres calls for se­rious regulations, especial­ly in area of noise pollution.

He noted that some of the noise-making worship cen­tres are usually makeshift structures.

Shabi said: “You cannot have makeshift and say you want to be conducting ser­vices or night vigil there. Definitely, you will be dis­turbing your neighbours. So, the government won’t allow the use of makeshift as a church or mosque.”

According to him, no­body is allowed to make noise above 55 decibel dur­ing the day in residential areas and only 45 decibel is allowed in such area at night.

He explained that in the industrial areas 90 decibel of noise is allowed during the day while the noise rate must not exceed 80 decibel at night in such areas.